Eugene P. Kope

Eugene (Gene) P. Kope was born on September 20, 1946. His family lived in Suffield where they operated a family farm. From a young age, Gene demonstrated a very strong work ethic and a natural ability to build and manufacture. After graduating from A.I. Prince Technical High School in Hartford, CT in 1965, he studied at Springfield Technical Community College. He then entered the workforce where he began to apply those skills professionally in precision manufacturing roles. He rose quickly through the ranks early in his career and maintained supervisory general manager positions throughout his time in the industry. The majority of his career was spent at the Moreland Valve Company in Manchester, CT, where he oversaw and engaged in building military submarine valves. While he spent most of his life in Suffield and South Windsor, CT, he had lived for the past ten years in Fort Myers, FL.

In his personal life, he enjoyed spending time with family, fishing (always catching the biggest fish!), maintaining a perfect yard, visiting the Big E, traveling, and tinkering/woodworking, which due to his great craftsman skills led to him building furniture, a swing set, and numerous other items over the years. Most recently, he spent much of his time making excellent food, especially complex Polish delicacies, and building beautifully intricate Japanese knives with ornately crafted handles, which are truly works of art. Throughout the years, many, many funny, unbelievable, and larger than life stories came of his time spent with family and friends, and now those stories remain as fond memories for his loved ones.

Gene was a character, a jack of all trades, and a big tough guy, but he had a soft side under that facade. He will be missed by many, but especially by his loving stepdaughter Megan Flick, her husband, Jeremy, and their sons Charlie and Henry, of Bolton, CT. He will also be deeply missed by his special nephew Alexander "Mike" Sepko, his wife Amy, and their children, his brother Dr. Walter Kope and his wife Helen, his aunt Victoria Kaplan, all of Suffield, CT and his cousin Brian Kaplan, of Fairfield, CT. Gene was predeceased by his parents Eugene and Nora (Rush) Kope, his sister Marilyn, his close brother-in-law, Alexander "Big Mike" Sepko, his brother Michael Kope, and his nephew Walter "Wally" Kope.

Burial will be at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the charity of one's choice.